Established in 1559 by Don Tristan de Luna and Spanish settlers, Pensacola is the first multiyear European settlement in the United States. As such, the city contains many areas that are historically and archaeologically important from all periods of its history. In preserving these historic and cultural resources, there is a direct relationship between Pensacola's heritage and the economic and social well-being of its citizens and visitors. More than 450 years after our founding, Pensacola is still a flourishing city, with its thriving downtown, beautiful landscape, and remarkable past.
With the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Pensacola's preservation leaders and residents successfully lobbied for and eventually established the city's first preservation ordinance and district boundaries in 1968. Since then the Architectural Review Board has worked to evaluate all developments that affect the built environment within each of Pensacola's historic, preservation, and aesthetic review districts. Pensacola's historic districts include the Palafox Historic Business district and the Pensacola Historic District in the heart of downtown, and the neighborhoods of North Hill and Old East Hill. Each of these districts has their own distinctive history and architectural character.